A Whole New World
by JossIsMyGod
Summary: The brothers, and a new companion, find themselves on a path that quickly leads them to meet new foes, visit new worlds and discover the truth about 'God'...    Set five months after the end of season 6. Rated M for later chapters. Slash. Dean/OC. Destiel    *See profile for a message about this fic*
1. Cabin Fever

I stood there, an apprehensive expression upon my face. I had both brothers either side of me. Sam to my left and Dean to my right. The Winchesters. They'd been to hell and back. Literally. Now here we stood. The infamous brothers that every demon, angel and beast knew, and me.

No one had spoken since we had arrived at this strange place in the middle of America. I had spent the majority of my time in England and in all my life had never taken time to study the many states of America. Thinking retrospectively, I should have. It would've made my life a whole lot easier.

But here we were, the three of us. The 1967 Chevy Impala parked at the bottom of the hill under a tree. I'd done an enchantment on the vehicle; no one, human or otherwise, could touch or even see it. It was safe whilst we where doing what we needed to do.

Before anything could happen, before any of us had moved from our stationary positions, we saw it. I first, with my sharpened senses, then Sam and finally Dean. It was strange to see such a sight with other people who knew of the supernatural; I usually worked alone.

A decrepit hand emerged from the blackened depths of the ramshackle cabin. The door seemed to be four long pieces of chipped wood. One of the planks had broken about two thirds of the way up and now the top of that particular plank was three spikes, all of different lengths, where the wood had been split. The cabin as a whole looked fear-inspiring but the hand now appearing through the gap in the door could have sent even the bravest of hunters running for the hills, Any but us; we held our ground.

I had no fear within me. I now knew that my instincts hadn't led me astray and that we were on the right track. I wish I could say the same for my companions. Dean was trying not to let his fear show, but he was never good at lying, not really. Sam, at my left, was looking more fearful than his older brother but I could feel his fear and it was far less than Deans.

He'd spent an unknown time in the Cage with the fallen angel Lucifer and the equally potent Michael. They had fought like two nuclear bombs being continuously detonated and poor Sam's soul was in the middle of it, unable to stop it, unable to end the pain, unable to die.

"What is it?" Sam asked, his voice a mixture of awe and fear with a hint of revulsion.

"There's only one way to find out..." I said, starting forward.

A flash of light caught my attention and made me pause. The brothers hadn't started to follow me and now that I had stopped just half a metre in front of them, they saw no reason to step in line.

"James? What is it?" Dean was ready to fight but I waved him down with my hand. He fell silent.

The flash that had caught my eye came from the hand. It was holding something. Something round. Something metal. Something the colour of gold. That something was the something I had been looking for. The something we came here for. And I had a sneaking suspicion that it knew I was after it. It wanted me to chase it into the unknown.

I needed it, I had no choice but to get that golden object. But I had other charges. I had to get it yet I still needed to protect the Winchesters. How?

"So are we going in or are we just gonna stand here looking at the place all day?" He wanted to get in and out as soon as possible. I liked that 'no hesitation' attitude about the eldest Winchester brother.

"Dean," Sam said, not needing to complete his thought as Dean could tell from Sam's tone of voice that he should be patient and not disrespect me or any orders I gave.

The hand had receded into the shadows again leaving me to wonder. I had no idea what to do. This could be dangerous, really dangerous and I needed to keep the Winchesters safe. But Dean was right. We couldn't waste time staring at the cabin. We needed to hurry on. And in that same moment of realisation. It struck me that I was being naïve, these two had faced some of the underworlds most terrifying creatures and saved the world from the apocalypse. I mean, they'd even travelled to a different dimension and fought the Mother of All for God's sake. They were more than ready for the challenges that had to be overcome.

With that thought in mind, I started again towards the cabin, taking my time to extend my senses so that we couldn't be surprised by anything, definitely not that... that... _thing_ we had just seen.

I arrived at the door, if you could call it that, and placed my hand upon the worn down wood. I pushed genitally. The sound of the creaking door opening merged with the sound of two pairs of footsteps on the wood of the front porch. Holes were common and the floorboards seemed as though they were about to give way and add to the plethora of gaps revealing the dry earth beneath the cabin's surface.

Even though clouds hid the sun in the from view, the day was still bright and the air mildly humid. But inside the cabin, almost no light shone. There was just enough light coming through the gaps in the boarded up windows to create an eerie atmosphere. I wasn't scared before, I'd seen and killed a lot of scary things in my time, but this. This was strange. I suddenly felt isolated. Alone. Even despite the two men that were standing with me.

We all felt the same. There was only one way to describe it...

Cabin fever...


	2. Façades

I could've ended it there. Killed myself and the Winchesters within a blink of an eye. But my extended senses had already felt it's presence. Magic always left a trace, even the smallest of spells left a spark.

I knew that the whole 'cabin fever' effect was just to make people run far away. But it was strong. It had effected me. Even Sam fell under the enchantment, and he'd gone further from sanity than anyone I had ever met. I guess a strong mental resilience doesn't mean a thing.

I felt the energy buzzing around me. Now that I was aware of it, the magic was hard to ignore. I instinctively shielded myself and extended it. No spell or telepathic being could get into any of our minds now.

Sam stood, not needing support but his face wore a breathless look. Dean was hunched over, his palm held to his forehead. I continued, not saying a word. But even I, with my extended senses, magical powers and aeons of experience, didn't see what was on the walls until I felt Sam's reaction. I looked up and saw for myself the wonder.

"What the hell?" Dean exclaimed with a bewildered tone. I could tell he was confused. But he should be used to seeing sights like this by now. Right?

From the outside, the cabin had looked small, but from in here it was minuscule.

The walls were rotten and scratched, but over that were strange makings. Markings to ward off every single supernatural thing to have ever existed. Even defensive signs for creatures older than agriculture...

There was one door across the room from us. That's all the cabin was inside. A room with no upstairs. The door most likely led to a cellar.

"What _are_ they?" Sam asked at the same time as Dean reached the closest wall to him to touch the mysterious markings. His finger tips touched the wall gently, with precaution. But the effect was strong. It shocked Dean with a high enough voltage that he jumped back a metre. It didn't hurt him. Who(or what)ever made this place didn't want it littered with corpses, their intention was to stop people from getting into it. To deter them from going any further than the front porch.

"They're protection symbols for pretty much every single supernatural creature in existence. There are signs to repel demons, angels, vampires, sirens, and much more besides. Hell, I can see three signs right now that repel creatures that went extinct four and a half century's ago..." I was in genuine awe. "I've never seen such a collection. Not in all my time..."

"And I'm guessing all the other enchantments and stuff is to scare away humans?" Dean asked in hushed tones. It was clear that he'd seldom seen a sight such as this either.

"Yeah, nothing would be able to go through there." I gestured towards the door.

"We going through there?" Sam asked.

"Looks like." I replied.

"Then lets go." Dean took charge of our trio. I needed to keep him safe. I needed him. The Winchesters were essential.

We walked down the rotten stairs, Dean first, followed by me and then Sam. All taking extra precaution now that we knew that something was in here but that something was unknown to us all. I couldn't be in here, no spirit demon or other creature could be here.

"Hey, wait a second." Sam had stopped half way down the stairs but Dean and I were at the bottom looking up, I in confusion and he in defensiveness. "I've seen this before."

He indicated to a shape in red paint. It was an upside-down triangle with three V shapes coming out of each side but all meeting in the centre. I knew what it was but I let Sam tell Dean. "It binds a witch's powers making them mortal." I felt their confusion run deep.

"So how come you can still make with the magic?" Dean asked, suspicion raising in voice and betrayal flaring in his eyes.

"Because I have no doubt that whatever set this up doesn't know about me or my people." Or maybe they did and wanted me to get me alone.

"We don't exactly know everything about you." Sam said cynically.

Even though I could destroy both of them without even breaking a sweat. Hell, without even blinking, I still felt threatened by the fact that I was surrounded by Winchesters. "You know enough about me to trust me right?"

"All we know is that your a mighty powerful hunter who seems to know a hell of a lot about the game and who's saved our life countless times over the past month." Dean's eyes were on his brother trying to convince him that I was trustworthy. I blushed at his kind compliment but Sam's comment brought me back to reality.

"With what happened with Ruby, we have to be a little on our guard." His eyes we on dean but as he ended his explanation he looked towards me.

"Naturally." Was all I could say. I managed a kind smile and at that, felt them both relax. But only a little.

"But if you turn out to not be on our side, I'll rip your head off." Dean was emotionless and his threat genuine yet I still couldn't help but notice a glimmer in his eye.

I couldn't work out what Dean was feeling inside, all I could feel was that it felt warm but firm; protective. A noise from the centre of the small, dusty, dirty cellar caught the attention of our little group.

The dust and dirt that had covered the floor was forming a column. The column began bending, changing shape. Forming into the creature we'd had a sneak peak of when we were outside.

It stood, hunched to it's left, breathing heavily. The body was decaying and all it had to cover it was a dirt ridden, torn rag. It was hard to tell it's gender but I guessed male.

"Who are you?" I asked, moving past Dean, commanding tones in my voice showed the thing that I meant business. My body pressed close to the hunter's and I could feel his pule raise just slightly. My hand skimmed across his and I felt a tingle that ran from my fingers all the way to the back of my neck. I couldn't focus on that now, I had to focus on the task at hand.

"I am the guardian..." The thing said, its decaying jaw moving slowly and the words coming out as dry sounds. It looked as though a guy had just simply aged and decayed but not died. Dry and dirty-grey hair, or rather the few strands that where still clinging to it's head, fell as a thin curtain between it's eyes and mine.

"The guardian to what?" I asked, moving forward, trying to gain eye contact.. But when it remained silent, I thought of changing my tactic a little. "What are you? Where do you come from?"

"I do not exist..." It sounded emotionless. Bleak.

"But how can you not exist?"

"I do not exist..." It repeated.

Confusion pressed to take control. It was difficult to keep the inner peace, protect the brothers from the 'cabin fever' spell and think of what to do with this unknown _thing _that stood in my way.

Sam spoke from behind me. He had joined Dean at the bottom of the stairs. "Why are you here?"

"To guard the gate from all but one..." came the reply.

"Is that one me?" I whispered.

Silence.

"Is that one me?" I said again. When there was no reply, I repeated my question but louder.

"Yes..."

"Who sent you? How long have you been waiting here?" Dean's questioned the creature.

"I am not of one but of many..." It answered first and then after a pause, it continued slowly "I have waited here since.. the creation of this optical illusion... of great magnitude..."

"Illusion?" I murmured. Realisation overtook confusion and shone like a light in the darkest of dark places. I rose my hands in front of me and focused the energy around me into the spot in the centre. The scenery flicked a little and then it was gone. The cabin had disappeared and left the four of us, Dean, Sam and I along with the unnamed creature, in a ditch at the top of the hill. There was a small hole now visible in the bright light of the cloudy day. It was behind the creature and looked the size of a small manhole cover.

I released the enchantment back into action and turned smiling to the other two.

"Don't you see? It's just a trick. All of it. Just to cover up that," I said to their unsettled expressions, indicating to behind the creature. A sudden thought struck...

What if?

I extended my index finger of my right hand to the centre of the creature's chest. I allowed the energy around me to be channelled through to my finger and out. It was pure, unseen power but it's effect was very visible.

It was as though the creature was composed of ash and dust, which I guess it was, due to the way it formed earlier. But my energy had created a pathway through the creatures chest. The dust swirled and twisted as if caught in a breeze and a few short seconds later filled with what sounded like distant whispers, the breaking of a spell I was sure, the creature was gone.

Sam, Dean and I stood there in the dismal, cold cellar. The hole was letting a dim orange-yellow light out into the cave-like place where we stood, illuminating the darkness.

"What the fuck was that?" Dean said, alarm ringing in his voice but his expression was as bold and strong-hearted as ever.

"Another little trick to ward off any enterers. Just something to answer the questions of those who were strong enough to make it this far." I informed him.

"And if all these are spells, who cast them?" Dean was walking closer to me and had become more comfortable now that I had explained the situation we were in. The tingling was back, but a little lighter than before. Just a bizarre prickle now.

"I think the answer is down there..." Sam was trying to look down the oversized rabbit hole but was unsuccessful as there was another spell upon the entrance into the unknown place to distort the view of any on lookers. This 'cabin' was full of them.

"We have to go down!" Dean more exclaimed than asked.

"Yeah, and whatever lies down there, I can pretty much guarantee that it ain't good." I was only slightly nervous of what was to come, the other two were more scared. Again, Dean more than Sam. They'd had a lot to deal with and so many fears they had faced but right now, they were absolutely terrified.

"Down we go." Sam said, leading the way. I followed and Dean was last. I wish we had stayed above ground and figured another way to stop the Master. I don't know whether or not the prize was worth the fight...


	3. What Lies Beneath the Surface

It was incredible...

It was a cave, a small one when in comparison to others I had seen. Yet it seemed cavernous. The markings were all over here. Across from where I had fallen, there was a circle on the wall where the bare stone was made conspicuously visible. It was strange how that circular part of the wall had been left blank of symbols. I wondered to myself where I had seen something like this before. It looked so familiar but I couldn't dwell on that. I had others to look after. I looked around until my eyes landed upon a speechless Sam. He was looking at me in mild confusion. Before I had the opportunity to wonder why he was looking at me in such a manner, I was slammed to the floor by a falling mass.

It was alive, human and bulky. It was Dean. He was scrabbling, trying to regain a sense of awareness and trying to get to his feet. As he struggled with getting up I was trapped beneath him, trying to calm his frantic arm throwing and hard breathing. He'd managed to stand on his feet and began looking around to see where we were. When he spotted Sam, he sighed in relief and continued to let his eyes wonder around the new scene. When he saw me beneath him, he extended a hand. I took it, smiling gratefully, feeling my cheeks flare a bright pink in gratitude and embarrassment.

As he took my hand in his I felt something. That tingly feeling. What was it?

"Sorry man." He said with a charming smile. It only flashed across his face for the briefest moment. Then it was gone and the hunter returned to his trademark 'heart of steal' state of mind.

Again, Sam's voice shocked me into reality."What just happened?"

Dean and I both looked at him from where we stood. "I don't know." He said, turning away from me.

"It's another spell, I'm guessing. When I came through, you were already over there," I indicated to where he stood. "And then Dean knocked me down a few seconds after I had come through even though he was right behind me..."

"It was more like me waiting five minuets for you." Sam informed me.

"Well, some spells, when they are concentrated in a certain area, effect things like mentality, space and time. Some even can randomly change physical perception." My mind flashed to a distant memory of seeing a full blown dragon protecting a rare artefact. That, too, had been an illusion that had been created unintentionally by the combined power of all the protection spells upon the object.

I continued, "But to effect reality like that, you'd either have to have to be holding a gate to another dimension permanently open or you'd have to have God like powers..."

"So God did this?" Deans voice broke a little. Sam didn't notice but I did. He was thinking of the angel who had pulled him from Hell and had helped him save the world and his life and then proclaimed himself God. He was thinking of horror, of fear, of something else. Something deep in his mind, too deep for me to reach.

I wanted to explore and find what it was that he was feeling, but I couldn't. I needed to be aware of my surroundings. I needed to figure out our next move.

"God? Well that's a whole new road that we don't have time to follow." I said trying to stop Dean's thoughts of the angel. "I'm not sure who, or what, set this up but they've gotta be wielding some pretty big weapons to pull this off. I would've said Lilith or Eve but you guys have already took care of them."

"So who else in on the suspect list?" Sam asked, moving closer to Dean and I. It was strange, the cave seemed to decrease in size with each step he took.

"No one I can think of can swing this. But maybe..." I suddenly went through all the people in my life that I had come into contact with and all the people who _did_ have the power to swing a deal like this. "There are hundreds of Pagan gods that can do this but it would've taken decades maybe even centuries to build it. And there aren't any traces in here."

"No traces?" Sam looked at me quizzically.

"None. There aren't any signatures that show me who cast the spells. All I can do is feel it's magnitude."

Dean was looking at me. I could only see him from the corner of my eye but it was enough to asses him. He was in deep thought mode and he wasn't thinking about the task at hand. Sam seemed to notice this too but said nothing. The brothers were more distant than they were when their father died. They had been through so much, they had saved the world and killed many-a-beast as brothers but these past few months, they'd grown father apart.

But this wasn't the time to have a sit down and discuss our problems. We had business.

Walking over to the blank circle of stone that was bare of any markings, Dean asked "What's the plan now?"

"It looks to me like there's a gateway through to where ever it is we need to go. But things like this require a sacrifice..." I was looking at the wall quizzically. I touched the stone lightly. It seemed to hum under my fingertips. It definitely needed the sacrifice. It was practically craving it.

"A sacrifice of what?" Dean asked, stepping forward. As he got closer, I stepped further away, pretending to examine the wall closer. I didn't feel comfortable around this hunter. I wanted to find out what the tingle was before we touch again.

"Blood." came Sam's voice from behind me as I studied the wall.

"How do you know?" Dean was looking at his brother. He was cautious of his brother. Ever since he had got his soul back, he'd been different. It had taken me a whole weekend to strengthen the wall within his mind that separated hell from Sam. However, Dean didn't trust his brother. He'd killed him in the future where Lucifer won. Even though he was possessed by the fallen angel during the act and it had been prevented anyway, the oldest brother could never see his younger sibling the same way.

"Because it's always blood." His face held no expression. Eyes blank and emotionless. He was a shell of the man he once was. Sam, the smart hunter who always aspired to fit in, had become so caught up in the intricate web of pain, demons and sorrow that was he his life, he'd lost the final thing he had ever held on to. It was never to be reclaimed.

"It's what keeps you going. It's what makes you warm. It's always blood..." He finished, his voice trailing off. I was worried about him, but there was no time to worry about anything. We had to move quickly.

My thinking about the lack of time we had to perform our task was disrupted by Dean's voice. It made my stomach feel although it was being tickled with a low voltage of electricity. The sensation was there for less than a moment.

"My brother. Always the encyclopaedia of the freakish?" Dean said. I noticed the flashed smile and the glint in his eye that meant he was covering up deep worry with humour. He always did that, even though he knows it never works.

"When you've been in the game as long as we have, you learn a thing or two." His voice was as emotionless as his face remained.

"Who gets the short straw?" Dean asked turning his gaze onto me. His eyes bore into my flash. I suddenly felt as though all the air had been taken away from the cavern.

"I'll do it." Sam started to step forward. Dean's hand twitched in a subconscious attempt to protect his brother.

"No." My voice held such power that emotion washed upon the tall hunters chiselled features. Shock. I had never been so assertive. But they needed to get it into their minds. They no longer had an angel on their shoulder. No one could summon them from beyond the grave. I _could_ but I wouldn't. Simply because they'd died too many times already. Once we were finished with what had to be done, they needed to fight alone. And they couldn't be resurrected. No one will be there for them. None but each other.

"Why not?" Dean asked moving closer. I kept my eyes fixed firmly upon the wall. If I turned and faced him, I wouldn't be responsible for my actions.

"Because your blood is too precious. I'll do it." I moved my line of vision so that my primary focus was on my left hand. But I was still able to see the hunter from the corner of my eye. The way he stood. The strong jaw he held tight. And the pain that flared in his eyes. Any one would thing that he was still in hell. But whether he was the teacher or the lesson was less clear.

The nail on my right thumb sharpened and I pressed I into my left palm until blood was drawn. The eldest Winchester flinched and the sight of the glorious red liquid. My eyes flashed back towards him and locked with his. In that moment, we were both one. Together and alone. In a world that could neither harm us nor break us. The moment lasted as long as Sam kept quiet. He shifted from one foot to another, the material of the inside of his jeans rubbed together. The friction had caused me to remember the pooling crimson liquid in my hand.

I turned my focus back to the wall. The humming had gotten louder. And the cave walls began to throb in anticipation. I could feel the hunters' gazes fly around the room suspiciously.

I summoned all the emotion I could and threw my hand, palm down, at the circle of clear cave wall. My blood filled the area of space and glowed a brilliant red. I could feel the blood draining from me. I could feel my life being drawn out of a small cut across my palm. It was excruciating. I couldn't bear it. But I had to. I'd come too far to give up now. I had no choice.

I clenched my right fist and focused the pain there. I began to glow red hot and my skin began to blister from the heat. The part of my jeans that had been protecting my now exposed skin from the wrath of my power had burned away. My boxers had also become subject to the ever increasing heat of my hand.

The pain in my palm was easing. The cave had taken all it could. I peeled my hand off of the surface, now almost has hot as my cooling right hand. Nothing seemed to be happening. Then, all of a sudden, we were being swallowed by the wall. Me and the brothers were sucked into a hole in the wall that had expanded from the bare stone. The symbols glowed a brilliant blue that blinded me momentarily. When I had regained my vision, the scene had changed once more.

We now found ourselves in a place that would show the hunters the truth. About themselves and each other...


	4. Decisions

I had no time to admire what I was seeing. The pain was less than it had been whilst the wall was opening, but it was still great. My natural instincts started to heal the damage which had been done to my tanned skin.

The Winchesters. My head twisted franticly until it found what resembled a Dean shaped heap on the floor, groaning in what seemed more like discomfort and annoyance than pain.

I studied him as he moved. The way his hands searched for stable ground on which he could raise himself. The way his head turned to find his brother and see if he was okay or if he needed assistance.

That was Dean. A caring brother. A loving man with a heart so pure that it was hard to describe. He had listened to his father and had been saving his brothers life since the night of the fire. The night they had lost their mother. The night that changed their lives forever.

Of course it was true that the demon, which the boy's and their hunting obsessed father had tracked for most of their lives, was not really to blame for the murder of Mary Winchester...

When Dean had been sent into the past by the angel that had betrayed him, he had led the Campbells on a hunt for the demon. When the demon sought revenge on the hunters and killed the brothers' grandparents and their father, Mary made a deal to save her true love. The trip itself was to prove to Dean that fate had always planned for his mother to die, and for Sam to be part demon and for him to be the Devil's vessel and for the world to end.

But for some reason, the self loathing hunter couldn't let go of what he had done. And it hurt him. And that, I couldn't bear.

He was on his feet and looking for his brother from a better angle now. His eyes flashed in my direction as he brushed off the dirt from his classic leather jacket and blue jeans. His eyes, locked with mine, flared, again, with what felt like a longing to be held. I knew that look from when those dying in battle would pray for release. Pray that they could be with the ones they loved once more before they crossed the veil. It was heartbreaking to imagine the shortest Winchester feel those emotions.

I spun my head a little too fast and something washed through my skull. It made my vision flare a bright white and caused me to loose control of my body. I fell to the ground, hitting my head hard on the stone floor.

There was no blood. I could tell that much, even though it felt as though an army of rabid hell hound were trying to dig there way out of my skull. I was more focused on what was happening around me.

Dean, who's eyes I was locked with, came rushing to my side. All thoughts of his otherwise missing brother gone from his mind. From my peripheral vision, I could see Sam stood over me. His eyes showing the sad man within. He did nothing to help his brother. He just stood there.

The sounds from the outside world were muffled and my vision was beginning to become cloudy. I couldn't see Dean's distinct features no longer.

He clasped at my upper arms, shaking me roughly, trying to make me regain what I was losing of consciousness. It wasn't working. I could feel myself falling into nothing.

But the eternal pit of darkness that was to consume me was not the only thing I could feel...

I could feel the tingeing. Almost as if someone was massaging my skin from the inside. Dean was the cause and I was at a loss. I couldn't explain what it was.

Whatever it was, it pulled my consciousness back to the surface. My vision became stronger. My senses, sharper. My heart picked up speed. A rhythmic pounding sounded in my ears and for a short while, that was all I could hear. But then, as suddenly as my collapse had been, I could hear Dean's deep and panicked voice calling my name.

"James?" Said the hunter. He knelt by my legs and as I rose onto my elbows to allow myself to see more of the man who had rushed to my side, I realised something that he didn't.

His left hand had rested on my thigh. The area where I had accidentally burnt my jeans and boxers with magic. The skin was smooth but still a little pink from where it had healed. The warmth I was feeling on me now was not from the heat before. But from the heart being caused now. Dean was absently stroking my leg with his thumb. When my eyes were back to normal, I looked right into the pooling depths of sorrow that were a hunter's eyes.

"James? Are you okay?" He asked, his voice flooded with emotion that he was trying to hold back.

"Fine." I whispered. I sifted my leg a little as I started to sit up. It was awkward to have him there, caring for me when he should be weary of me. After all, he didn't know that much about me. It wasn't time, they weren't ready.

Dean noticed what he'd been doing and backed away quickly, looking more than embarrassed. As soon as the contact was gone, I missed it. It felt good to be cared for and in that small moment, I wasn't completely alone in this constricting world...

I waved a hand, mind elsewhere, and magically healed the fabric of my damaged clothes. After a few seconds my outsides were fine but what was held within felt like hell. Again, I forced all thoughts of emotion to the very back of my mind.

I stood, Sam, Dean and I all in the new place. I was able to take more of our surroundings in now.

It was a stone room. It wasn't bricks that made walls. Just huge, unbroken slabs of the gayest stone. The floor was the same tone of grey. However, on the stone ground, I noticed an intricate network of what seemed to be veins.

Thousands of them. All connected. All thin as hair and all exerting light. It was almost as if the veins were carrying hot magma that glowed a bright orange red colour. The heat was comfortable. If you closed your eyes and forgot about the closed-in-ness of the walls and roof, you could almost trick yourself into thinking you were in a field, feeling the receding heat of the sun as it set in the middle of summer.

My eyes followed the interesting creators of heat and light all the way to the opposite side of the room. A feeling of uncertainty welled up in my stomach as three archways entered my line of vision. There was nothing special about the archways themselves: they were made from the same stone that composed the rest of the room, all three opened into three paths, leading into a darkness that extended farther than anything I'd thought possible.

Even with the lengthy dark trails that extended beyond the archways, I'd have sworn that there were actually empty, crafted niches. It was strange. Even the light from the veins on the floor seemed to be too little when they passed the threshold.

Dean walked up to the archways sheepishly and examined them with careful eyes.

Sam spoke up from my left, "Which one do we take?"

"I like how you don't question my judgement any more." I smiled. Sam looked at me but I did not meet his gaze, I couldn't. For some reason, the youngest brother made me feel slightly unnerved. It must have something to do with being worn by Lucifer and having his mind turned to mush. The cage changes people.

"Do we just choose randomly or do have a spell for that?" Dean's voice was low but I could hear it clearly. It seemed he was talking more to himself than to me or his brother.

"I don't think that we need to do anything..." Sam told us, his voice trailing off into silence.

Upon the grey stone above the archways, there were the light-veins. They were in their random pattern but the light that they were giving off made letters. Clear letters that made words. Words that made a sentence. Sentences that made little sense:

_On pathways three,_

_Ancient warriors did learn,_

_Forward is the path,_

_That both brothers yearn._

"Well." I said, allowing the other two to read the words and try to decipher their meaning.

"Well what?" Dean asked, turning to face me. His eyes seemed to evade mine. "We choose the one that me and Sammy want. Simple." His eyes switched to his brother. Although my gaze remained in Dean's general direction, I knew that Sam's eyes had fallen to stare at the floor, not wanting to look into the eyes of his brother who was staring with eternal sorrow at his younger sibling. He didn't call his brother 'Sammy' a whole lot lately. It seemed like weeks since I last heard Dean speak the name that only he and his father were truly allowed to call the mammoth of a man.

Just as I began to think of the brothers' weakening relationship, something happened.

The air in the archways shimmered like the air does when a surface radiates heat. Colours were made from black and the colours made blurs. The blurs made shapes and the shapes made people.

To the left archway, the one closest to Sam, stood Jessica. She wore a sky blue dress that reached down to the stone at her feet. The satin material of the dress shimmered in the dim orange light and made it seem as though she was wearing the most spectacular waterfall. Her blonde hair fell elegantly down her face, framing her beautiful features. Her left hand rested on her right, which was clutching her matching purse, which signified the fact that upon her ring finger there was a golden ring, embedded with a small diamond. It complemented her slim figure. She stood, smiling a Sam.

To my right, in the archway closest to Dean, stood two figures. I knew who they were even before I looked; Lisa and Ben. The closest thing Dean had to a family. She stood there, dirty yet delicate hands by her side. She wore tight black jeans and a checked shirt over a black vest. I recognised the shirt as one of Dean's. It was dark green but flecked with black motor oil. She had obviously been working on a car. But not just any car, and Dean knew it too. It was clear she been working on _the_ car. Deans baby. Ben was beside her. He was wearing a sports kit, and was holding a ball under his left arm. Both of them were looking lovingly at Dean.

As I stood there, my eyes flicking from left arch to right, I realised what was behind the middle arch. It was hell. Pain. Chaos. Eternal horror. It was what they had been facing all their lives.

"Jess..." Sam whispered, breaking the agonising silence.

"Lisa?" Dean uttered through tears that were now forming in his eyes.

"They're real." I said, answering the questions that had not yet been asked. "The archways lead to alternate realities where you will live happy lives until you reach a ripe old age."

Tears fell down Dean's cheeks but his brother showed no such emotion. He looked as though he was dying.

"You'll be happy. No demons, no monsters, no hurt of the supernatural kind." I continued.

"There has to be a catch..." Sam's cynicism was clear through his low tones.

"The big bad your helping me hunt won't be stopped." I said in hushed tones. "He'll have enough strength to destroy reality. All of it. Every sub-atomic particle. Every world. All of it. Gone."

"So we wont be as happy as you say, then?" Dean, too, saw the glass as half empty.

"It'll take a while for him to get to you. The world you'll be in wont be effected in your lifetime. You'll be dust in your coffins by the time the ripples hit _that_ pond." I was finding it difficult to keep the brothers focused.

"True happiness?" Dean sounded through tears that now fell freely and shamelessly.

"More so than you could ever imagine."

"But we can't leave the world now. Not after we've saved it so many times. We're not gonna let some son-of-a-bitch just screw all that over!" Dean was furious, but at what was unclear. His mind was a mess of pain, memories and the prospect of finally getting the life he deserved. To know that his brother, too, would be happy and at peace.

"Dean," I reached my hand out for him. His shoulder turned away from me as if it was painful to have me in contact with him. His face looked almost monstrous with pain and anger.

"We can't do this..." Sam was more composed than his brother but his emotions were just as clearly read. I stepped back a little so I could see them both.

"Then what other choice do we have?" Dean looked in his brothers direction. Sam was looking at his brother, too.

"The third archway." I said. My voice broke the bond that had momentarily linked the two. "It's the life you lead now. The pain, the misery. The loss"

Dean's mind was open and I could see images of blue eyes and a dirty trench coat. Sam was less open but I could tell he was thinking of the ones he loved. Jess, Jo, Ellen, his father.

"It's that one." Sam seemed so sure.

"How do you know?" I asked, wanting him to be sure that he was making the right decision.

"Because Dean didn't have to come with me, he didn't need to get back in the game and leave Lisa and Ben. He could have left me to die and live a life with his soul intact. He could have left the game so many times." He chanced a quick look at his brother, then he made eye contact with me and continued. "I didn't need to go with him. I could've stayed with Jess and graduated. I would have been happy."

Dean looked down at his feet. He knew there was truth in his brother's words.

"That's why." Sam's voice held no emotion, just truth. "Whenever we get a chance to get out, we always dive back in. We live this game. It's who we are. Right to the bitter end."

"Amen to that." Dean said, looking up. His face held a smile that was warm. A smile for his brother. A smile that was unbelievably rare. He walked forward, his arms separating and Sam, reluctant and with an embarrassed smile, embraced his smaller sibling.

I allowed them to bask in this precious moment. I would have felt awkward if we were not on the path that we were. I had other things, more pressing thing, at mind.

After a minuet of hugging and muted sobbing, they broke apart. Dean turned to face me, his eyes throbbing. Sam looked my way too. He was more composed yet more vulnerable now than he had been in a while.

"Shall we go?" I asked, my voice matching the now lightened atmosphere.

"Yeah," Dean breathed.

"Sure," Sam smiled.

Turning to face the middle archway, I felt better. There was more room in my mind for the task. The hunt. Sam allowed Dean to go in front of him. We cautiously walked along the ominous path, lit by red flames that burned at a place beyond our line of vision.

I knew before it happened that the Winchesters would take one last look at the world they were turning down. The families they could have had. The worlds they'll never know.

We walked and we walked. It seemed that the path, or rather tunnel, would never end. The brothers, who walked behind me, seemed to be maintaining the good mood. My mind, now free, wandered about the outcome of this journey. If we don't fail, the world will be at peace, the land will thrive and war will no longer exist. Everyone will be happy and free. Beyond heaven on earth. Utopia.

No matter how much I kept my focus on the good that it will do, my mind kept showing me the sacrifice. The price that must be paid. The only constant. The only thing that we cannot avoid.

My death...


	5. The Throne

Just when it seemed that our walking would never end, the light changed. A cold blue was made from the fiery orange. I could tell that we were close to an opening; the air was cooler and a slight breeze was coming from up ahead. There was a steep incline and, just as I thought, the tunnel opened up to yet another room.

A blue colour filled the air of the new place. It seemed empty. Large stone blocks built the walls and what I first saw when I came out of the tunnel was a great pair of wooden doors. It seemed like a medieval throne room. The brothers followed me out into the cool area. The energy in this place was different: unearthly and not in the way the hunters knew. It was new and old both at the same time. I was unsettled but I didn't let it show.

"What now?" Sam asked quietly, his words echoing throughout the room. "Through the wooden doors?"

"Nope." I said turning my attention to what hid in the dark shadow. It was just beyond the light of the window which was the source of the blue light that lit the room. I could hardly make out what it was but the closer I drew towards the mysterious object, the clearer it became.

It was a throne. A dark wood medieval throne that was straight out of a fairytale. Although what sat upon it was more like Brothers Grimm than anything from a Disney film. It was, at my best guess, a old man. He looked so frail and ancient. The brothers were just a pace or two behind me and were even more cautious about this new place than I. Slowly, I walked the light, streaming through the single window and into the dark corner where the throne and it's occupant sat still as stone.

As I looked around the room and gained a greater sense of awareness, I noticed many torches hung upon the walls. None of them were lit and it didn't seem as though they had ever been used. As my head turned towards the decrepit old man, the touches burst into life. It was a simple task that required no words or direct channelling. Magic seemed to come easier here, in this alien world. I leaned in close to the stranger that sat so silent and still it was hard to think he was alive. The Winchesters had drawn in closer but Sam was still in front of the window, cutting out the rooms supply of light from the outside.

I studied the facial features in detail. His skin was pale and leathery. Small veins were a visible blue under his eyes. They were open but dry. White hair flowed down his shoulders and was joined by a small white beard. There were knots in the hair and through a gap, a slightly open mouth was barely visible. I stood back to look at the man that sat in the chair. Taking a deep cleansing breath, I searched my memory for something that could possibly make a person live live so long. No spell that didn't leave a trace. Nothing could age like that and yet not die. At least nothing human.

"Who is he?" Dean was stood right behind me. He was so close that I could hear his heart pulsing rapidly, or perhaps that was my own.

As if in answer to Dean's question, a sigh sounded from the throne. More light entered the room as Sam's huge form join Dean and myself next to the creature now conscious. "I am the ancient king." His breathing was rough and difficult. He spoke quietly but in the deafening silence of the room, we all could hear him clear as day.

"And what is it that you rule?" I asked looking around the room to see nothing but dust.

"This is my palace and that," he rose his finger and pointed to the window. I could hear the creaking and clicking of the man's bones. It seemed a struggle for him to gesture to the landscape outside. "That was my land. But _he_ took it from me."

"Who's 'he'?" I asked with a kind tone. One of understanding and patients despite the opposing feelings inside.

"You will see." He turned and looked at me with a mischievous but painful looking smile. "The old creature" he wheezed.

"That's me," I smiled warmly, forgetting the presence of the brothers in the feeling that came over me as the possibility of one who knew who I truly was came to be.

"The one with more power than any god or man, with more knowledge than both." His eyes locked with mine. He had a knowing look abut him. "From a world before time, before creation, before existence. Saviour of us all from the Beast."

"Yes." My mind suddenly cleared as the confusion of the other two filled my head. I let my eyes flicker from side to side, checking the reactions of both brothers. Sam, to my right, looked to his left at his brother with a worried expression. Dean's was his classic 'I'm scared but I'll sort it out' look.

"What's he talking about?" Dead stood in my view, his look still plastered across his face. "'The world before time'?"

"It's complicated, I'll explain later." I looked back at the King, not exactly sure how I was going to explain my identity to them and not really wanting to reveal who I am to them both.

"There isn't much time." Urgency rang clear in his voice. "The location of the Beast lies only with the First," a deep inhale, "and he shall not speak until he is given what he wants."

Silence hung in the air as I processed his words. Who was the First? And what battle would this mysterious creature want? Just as I was to open my mouth to ask those very questions, a gentle breeze blew from nowhere in particular. As it blew a few strands of white around the Kings head, something happened. His face lacked of any emotion and turned a sickly grey colour. It became impossibly paler and the skin became thinner. The bones began to shrink and the whole of his form turned slowly to dust. The Winchesters moved back and drew in astonished breaths. I, however, studied the pile of ash in an attempt to figure out what creature the former king was. They looked human but a power rippled from them that was ancient. Something had made the King. Possibly to serve as a warning to those who seek the First. Perhaps his own will to have the Beast destroyed was what lead him to being trapped.

"What the hell?" Dean's voice broke my train of thought. I turned to face him with no emotion showing. He took this as his cue to expand on his exclamation. "What just happened? Who is he? Who are you?"

Sam remained quiet but it was clear by the tightly knitted brow the he was thinking the same thing. "There isn't time for this." I moved towards the door on light feet, grabbing the handle only to be pulled back by the oldest brother.

"Answer me now!" He had formed a tight grip on my arm and swung me around to face him. I moved slightly towards him, my heart pumping faster than it should. I took a breath and with it tasted the sweet scent that came from the man. My eyes flickered to his lips before I managed to force myself backwards.

"I told you, I'll explain when you're ready!" I moved out of the now open doors only to be met by a corridor. At the very end was a single door. The only one that surely meant forward was the only way to go. I began to walk and Dean ran after me, his rage greater than usual.

Sam followed him and called after me. "Why can't you tell us?" The youngest of our trio wanted to keep the peace but also wanted to understand. These were the goals of his brother also but Dean never really had much self control.

"Because you don't trust me." I replied.

"Damn right we don't trust you." Deans voice was full of anger that was aimed towards me but beneath it I sensed something more. Not distrust. Not betrayal. Pain. I felt a new form of pain within the Winchester.

"Well, until you do, I can't tell you who I truly am."

"Guys, can we just talk about this?" Sam came between us, looking from left to right so that both Dean and I could see his desperation to create reasoning.

He wasn't stood there for long though. A dark grey cloud swept in from the room we had just left and swallowed Sam whole. Nothing was visible of the man but I knew he wasn't harmed. The cloud moved around in a tornado shape, twisting and turning, before blasting past me and out of the door that apparently lead to the outside. The cloud broke down the door and took away a significant section of the surrounding stonework.

Dean ran past me in a hurry and I followed, the shock lasting only a few moments. Why hadn't I sensed it? Why couldn't I stop it? Why did I care more for answering Dean than moving on? All good questions. And all without answer.

I ended up on a rocky stone floor, Dean stood in font of me. Both of us surveying the alien landscape for the missing Winchester. The air was still and silence was all that could be heard. Dean's chest squared slightly as he drew in a breath and bellowed across the rocky land: "Sammy!"


End file.
